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Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean Jacques Rousseau, Swiss-born philosopher and a writer, was a leading French philosopher of
the Enlightenment, pioneer of the Romantic Movement in continental philosophy. As a philosopher,
he is famous for his books The Social Contract
, Emile
, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality
and Confessions
.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau Brief Biography
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), was born in Geneva, Switzerland, the son of a watchmaker.
When his mother died at his birth, his father hardly showed any interest in him. Aged 16, he ran
away from Geneva and wandered around Europe until his late 20s. He was taken in the private care
of a Madame de Warens where he took to reading, study and eventually after few years got a job as
secretary to the French Ambassador in Venice.
Rousseau became acquainted with the leading writers and celebrities of the time including Voltaire
and Denis Diderot, who was chief editor of the Encyclopedia that time. Through Diderot, Rousseau
received work writing for the encyclopedia that began to appear in 1751.
Despite his success as a writer, he only started his first book when he was nearly 40 years old. He
fell out with almost everyone upon his publication of The Social Contract, including the Government
of France, the Protestants and Catholics, and with Madame de Warens, who had become his
mistress by this time. He even quarreled with his one-time friend, David Hume in England.

Rousseau Philosophy: The Social Contract and the General Will


The Social Contract starts with the famous opening line: Man was born free, and he is everywhere in
chains. In this work, he provides a blueprint for the ideal society, in contrast to his earlier books,
Emile and The Origin of Inequality. Rousseau envisions a liberated society. He argues that when
people live in social groups, their freedom to follow their own interests must be limited to the
general will of the group to which they belong. He further claims that injustice is a result of
institutions or the so-called civilized group of people (society) which suppress or corrupt the natural
will and ability of men.
Rousseau also introduces the general will which he defines as the will of all those directed to their
own common interests and distinct from the will of all which.
is merely the consolidation of individual selfish wills.

Rousseau's general will, however, appears to generate a force that is greater than the sum of its
parts. What is often missing in the interpretation is the way he sees it: there can be no disharmony
between the interests of the sovereign and that of the people, since by definition, the sovereign is
constituted from the people.
Insight to Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Rousseau is one of the outstanding figures of French literature and philosophy. A contemporary of
Voltaire, he lived during the Age of Enlightenment, with its social upheavals and romanticism. In his
philosophy and writings, he discusses political philosophy and believes the environment has a great
part in shaping people and society. He died at the age of 66, July 2, 1778. The Social Contract of
Jean-Jacques Rousseau inspired the French Revolution with its famous catchphrase "Libert, galit,
Fraternit."

Sources:
Clark, John, Ed. Illustrated Biographical Dictionary. London: Chancellor Press, 1994.
McGovern, Una, Ed. Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers, Harrap Publishers, 2002.
Stokes, Philip. Philosophy: The Great Thinkers.
London: Arcturus Publishing, 2007.

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